Improvement in narrowing mechanisms for knitting-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. AIKEN. Narrowing Mechanism for Knitting-Machine. No. 204,648.Patented .l'une II, 1878 m r m/ 6 e 3 2 k I a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. AIKEN.

Narrowing Mechanism for Knitting-Machine.

Patented June 11, 1878.

N. PETEIB, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER AIKEN, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN NARROWING MECHANISMS FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,648, dated June 11,1878 application filed March 25, 1678.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER AIKEN, ofFranklin, of the county of Merrimack, of the State of New Hampshire,have invented a new and useful machine for automatically regulating, ina knitting-machine, the time or periods of narrowing the fabric Whilebeing knit; and do hereby declare the same to be described in thefollowing specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings,of which Figure 1 is a top view. Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 arear elevation, of such machine. Fig. at is an edge view, and Figs. 5and 6 opposite side views, of the pin or'regulating or pattern wheel, tobe hereinafter described.

The machine, which is applicable to what by knitters are termed straightknitting --nraehines, or those which knit a web of cloth incontradistinction to such as knit tubular work, automatically determinesthe times or periods of narrowing, thereby, in order that the fabric,whether it be an undershirt or other garment, may be correctly knit withlittle or no assistance on the part of an attendant.

In the said drawings, A is the driving-shaft of the machine, suchmachine being represented as applied to the main shaft B'of aknitting-machine of the kind mentioned. On the said driving-shaft twogrooved pulleys, G O, are fixed, the inner one having a diameter lessthan that of the other. Around such pulleys and two others, D D, ofequal diameters and fixed on the shaft B, two endless belts or bands, EE, extend.

Two belt-tighteners,F F, provided, as shown, with grooved wheels as x,to bear against the said bands, and arranged as represented, aresupported in brackets or projections b b of the frame G, by which theshafts and operative mechanism are sustained. These tighteners arefurnished with catches c c, to operate with a movable latch, H, appliedto the projection b, a side view of such latch being shown in Fig. 7. Aspring, at, attached to the latch and the part b, serves to force thelatch into engagement with either of the catches a 0 when its tighteneris pressed back, in order to crowd its grooved wheel against and tightenthe endless belt directly in rear of it.

I is the pattern or regulating wheel, it being screwed on ascrew-threaded journal, K, projecting from the frame. This wheel has inits rim a helical range of holes, 6 0, corresponding in pitch with thatof the threads of the screw in the journal K. Such wheel also has aratchet-wheel, f, fixed to or making part of it, and arranged asrepresented. On its inner edge the wheel is provided with a row ofholes, g, and there is a row of holes, h, arranged in and around theratchet-wheel, as shown.

A lever, L, provided with a pawl, M, to engage with the tooth of theratchet-wheel, is pivoted on the aforesaid journal, and extends over acam or wiper, M, fixed on the shaft B, (see Fig. 8,) which is a sideview of such cam. A helical spring, 1', fixed to the lever and endbracket, and arranged as represented, serves to draw the lever downward,in order to retract the pawl on the ratchet-wheel as may be necessary.Furthermore, there is an abutment, N, fixed to the frame, and arrangedaside of the regulating-wheel, in manner as shown.

The holes in the ratchet-wheel are to receive pins is Z, to act againstthe inner end of the tightener latch, in order to press such latchbackward to release the tighteners, to effect stoppage of the machine.

The pins k l may be of any required length, and be inserted in any ofthe holes of the range, in order to actuate the latch at proper periods,dependent on the number of revolutions or parts of a revolution theWheel may be required to make.

This pattern-wheel, by revolving on a screw while being turned, willgradually approach or recede from the latch. On revolving the wheel backto its starting-point a pin, m, in serted in one of the holes in theinner edge of the wheel, will bring up against the abutment and stop thewheel at such point. The series or range of holes enables the stop-pinto be arranged in either of them, as occasion may require.

N is a lever, pivoted on a stud or fulcrum, m. ,A tooth, n, extends downfrom the lever, and'engages with a row of pins, 0, inserted in theperiphery of the pattern-wheel. These pins, as the said wheel revolves,move laterally toward the tooth until one of them may meet and force itand the lever X upward, and for a time maintain them so raised. The saidlever has vertical movements imparted to it for the purpose of throwinginto and out of gear the ordinary narrowing mechanism of theknitting-machine, of which it may form part, or to which it is to besuitably applied. A spring, 71, applied to the lever and the frameeffects downward movements of the said lever.

The invention is for the purpose of provid ing a knitting-machine with aregulating stop motion or mechanism, in order to etfect the stopping andstarting of the narrowing mechanism to bring it into and throw it out ofaction at the proper times.

The object of employing two tighteners and mechanisms for running theshaft B at different velocities is to enable the knittingmaehine to domuch more work in a given time, it being caused to run faster when notnarrowing the work.

To arrange the regulator for and to put it in action, the lever N shouldfirst be raised,

in order to carry its tooth above the pins of the patterirwheel, afterwhich such wheel should be revolved backward until the pin in projectingfrom its inner edge may bring up against the abutment N. Next, the outertightener is to be set or pushed back, and latched. The shaft B will atonce he put in revolution, and the pattern-wheel will be intermittentlyrevolved until one of its pins may bring up against and crowd back thelatch, which, taking place, the tightener will be moved forward by itsbelt, and the machine will stop running. Next, the other or innertightener should be set back, so as to cause the shaft B to revolve at aslower speed. The pattcrlrwheel again being put in revolution will alsobe moved laterally, so as to carry the pins in its periphery graduallytoward the tooth of the lever over it, until one of them may be broughtup against such tooth and force it and the lever upward, so as to throwinto operation the mechanism for narrowing. \Vhen the narrowing has beencarried on sufficiently, a pin in the range of holes in theratchet-wheel brings up against the latch and moves it, so as to releasethe tightcner, and thereby cause the machine to stop. Should moreknitting be required, more pins may be inserted in the ratchet-wheel,and the ma chine maybe started again and stopped at any desired period.As many pins may be put in the ratchet-wheel as the machine may requirefor being stopped at different times. In knitting fancy or striped work,the machine requires to be stopped for the application of yarns ofdifferent colors.

Figs. 9 and 10 exhibit the mode of application of the mechanism to astraight-knitting machine, these figures showing such parts of theknittingmachine with which the additional mechanism is directlyconnected, Fig. 9 being a rear elevation, and Fig. 10 an end view, ofthe machine, in part.

In the said figures the parts of the additional mechanism are marked orlettered as they are in the other figures, A being the driving-shaft,and B the cam-shaft, of the knitting-machine, these shafts being alsorepresented in Figs. 2 and 3.

A is the cam-bar for operating the needles, it. receiving itsreciprocating rectilinear motion from the shaft B by means of the gearsa I), shaft 0 crank d and connecting-rod 6, arranged as shown.

Having thus described my above'mentioned machine, what I claim as of myinvention is as follows, viz:

1. The pattern-wheel, as described, having pin-receiving holes, andprovided with mechanism for revolving it and for moving it laterally, asspecified, in combination with the two shafts A B, their pulleys G C D Dand belts E E, and the tighteners F F and latch 11, all being arrangedand applied substantially and to operate as set forth.

2. The pattern-wheel, as described, having pin-receiving holes, andprovided with mechanism for revolving it and moving it laterally, asspecified, in combination with the lever N, having the tooth n and theretractive spring a, and with the two shafts A B, their pulleys U C I)l) and belts E E, and their tightencrs F F, and latch H, all beingarranged and applied substantially and to operate as set forth.

3. The combination of the pattern-wheel, perforated as described, andprovided with mechanism for revolving it and moving it laterally, asspecified, with the abutment N, and with the two shafts A B, theirpulleys C C l) l) and belts E E, and the tighteners F F and latch I],all being essentially as specified.

WALTER AIKEN.

\Vitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, JOHN It. Sxow.

